By Prof Lungu

"...Critically, if we were to entertain Professor Mike Oquaye's argument for a minute, we would have to return to centralized independent states headed by powerful chiefs on some lands; and on some other lands, rule by heads of clans and lineages with shrines as fulcrum....There would be no Ghana as we know it. Professor Oquaye's argument that "the element of recognition by government was totally removed," in 1969,...is

inconsequential...Significantly, J. B. Danquah, Busia, and the Mike Oquaye types, whenever they've had power, never bothered to cede an inch of power to Ghana's traditional rulers...In fact, the failure to properly address this question is squarely at the root of the under-development of the People and Lands of Ghana...They were for Kwame Nkrumah, before they were against Kwame Nkrumah..", (Prof Lungu, 2 December, 2016).

We thought we had laid this matter faithfully to rest when we published Part 2 of the paper 19th November. In that paper, we argued that not only did Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia and his NLM-PP cohorts destool chiefs, when they had all the power in the world, they failed to give the chiefs they enstooled their original powers which had been one of their matemeho demands against Nkrumah's CPP.

We are revisiting the essay because we finally received a copy of a 9th November essay by Prof. Mike Oquaye ("Mahama stop debasing the Presidency - Prof. Mike Oquaye"), which makes the same absent-minded argument Dr. Kwame Okoampa made 8th November.

We must note now that while Professor Oquaye provided a bit of context, he nonetheless makes the same erroneous conclusion when he said:

"...In 1969, when an opportunity came for a new Constitution to be written, late President Akufo-Addo who was chairman of the Constitutional Commission, led us into redefining chieftaincy and lifting the institution to its original traditional status. The element of recognition by government was totally removed...".

That is "totally" balderdash!

That is not accurate by his own argument and reference to history, if words have more meaning than the literal.

It never happened - that return to "original traditional status".

In fact, return to "original status" would have meant return to pre-colonial Ghana.

Again, in Part 2, we noted that Dr. Busia and his NLC coup plotters in fact destooled many more chiefs for political reasons. And the Chiefs they installed remained subservient to Unitary Ghana under their NLC-Johnson-CIA sponsored coup on Nkrumah's Ghana. Knierzinger (2011) a neutral observer, states that Edward Akufo? Addo, Busia, Okyenhene Nana Ofori Atta II, themselves, when they had all the power in the world, did not reassert chieftaincy in national politics the same way they argued while Kwame Nkrumah's government ruled Ghana.

Critically, if we were to entertain Professor Mike Oquaye's argument for a minute, it would have to return to centralized independent states headed by powerful chiefs on some lands; and on some other lands, rule by heads of clans and lineages with shrines as fulcrum, this latter type identified by Joseph Kingsley Adjei as "acephalous systems". In short, it would have meant those Kings and Clan leaders would have had, totally, all the trappings of States, mini-states, and fiefdoms; that materially, they would have been directly responsible for the development of the the people under their "rule".

But it isn't so in Ghana!

There would be no Ghana as we know it, if it was so!

Even today, in Ghana, when we throw away all the material trappings and anachronistic hierarchical systems, helping to maintain peace, "asomdwe" in Professor Mills-speak, is the only important function of chiefs.

But, human beings need more than food and "asomdwe" to live as human beings.

They also need development in all its manifestations.

Simply, when Kwame Nkrumah won for Ghana the Unitary Ghana construct against confederate-matemeho agitators (same J. B. Danquah, Busia, and the Mike Oquaye types), when Nkrumah spear-headed the fight for independence, development of all the People of Ghana, on all the lands in Ghana, became a central responsibility of the new modern government.

Professor Mike Oquaye's argument that "the element of recognition by government was totally removed," in 1969, (or even by the 1992 Constitution), is inconsequential.

It is an argument for the uneducated who does not understand the significance of simple words in a sentence!

It is a nonsensical point for the lame, the person who has difficulty connecting two-and-two to arrive at four.

Simply, that argument is not valid when measured against what existed in pre-colonial Gold Coast; what existed in 1969; what existed in 1992; or even in 2016, today.

Significantly, J. B. Danquah, Busia, and the Mike Oquaye types, whenever they've had power, never bothered to cede an inch of power to Ghana's traditional rulers.

In fact, the failure to properly address this question is squarely at the root of the under-development of the People and Lands of Ghana.

They were for Kwame Nkrumah, before they were against Kwame Nkrumah.

Having engineered and abetted the overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah's government, the J. B. Danquah, Kofi Abrefa Busia, and Mike Oquaye types forgot Kwame Nkrumah had under continuous execution national development plans for all of Ghana, south-to-north, west-to-east.

Sadly, since 1966, the confederate matemeho types, when they had power, destroyed what Kwame Nkrumah built for all of Ghana as part of Ghana's national development program. Those developments and facilities the J. B. Danquah, Kofi Abrefa Busia, John Kuffour, and the Mike Oquayes they did not destroy, they simply sold to themselves and their friends. The rest, they simply tagged extravagant, and fallowed, until their next shot at power.

Historically-deficient hogwash!

Now, Professor Mike Oquaye, deal with that.

Notes/sources:

1. Prof Lungu. Nonentities, liars, and crooks (NLC) destroyed Nkrumah's Ghana, 6 Oct 15, (http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/Nonentities-liars-and-crooks-NLC-destroyed-Nkrumah-s-Ghana-386072).

2. Danquah-Busia-Dumbo confederates should apologize for plunging Ghana in chaos, Nkrumah Was Not Prepared To Govern For Dummies: The Essentials! A 2015 Founder's Day, 25 Sep 15. (https://www.newsghana.com.gh/danquah-busia-dumbo-confederates-should-apologize-for-plunging-ghana-in-chaos/).

3. Exclusive: Nana Akufo-Addo on Ghana's New Beginning - Opinion, 18 Nov 16, Newsweek, (http://www.newsweek.com/ghana-decides-nana-akufo-addo-fresh-beginning-awaiting-ghana-521291).

4. Mike Oquaye, Mahama stop debasing the Presidency, (http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/Mahama-stop-debasing-the-Presidency-Prof-Mike-Oquaye-484651).

SUBJ: 1962 Memo --- Kwame Nkrumah destooled chiefs in his own immortal words, (Part 3), by Prof. Lungu. Support Fair-Trade Oil Share Ghana (FTOS-Gh) Campaign/Petition: https://www.change.org/p/ghana-fair-trade-oil-share-psa-campaign-ftos-gh-psa/ Brought to you courtesy www.GhanaHero.com©3 Dec 16. (Powered by: www.GhanaHero.Com).